Conference Papers & Proceedings

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Edward Allen, PhD, Union College, USAThe Impact of the Seventh-day Adventist work in China on the SDA Church as a WholeAbstract: While a history of the Seventh-day Adventist work in China would describe how the North American Church impacted the way Adventists worked in China, an alternate way of viewing the SDA work in China would be to see how it impacted the rest of the church as a whole. Much of what can be said about this topic can only be spoken of in terms of preliminary hunches rather than established facts based on research data. However, the approach suggests some valuable insights. Beginning with Abram LaRue, the work in China has inspired Adventists to broaden their vision beyond Christendom and enter areas of the world that do not have a Christian background. The institutional focus of the work in China influenced the building of institutions around the world. The weakness of that approach has cautioned the rest of the world as well. The Adventist experience with the Communist government in China has informed Adventist work in other areas of the world. And, the work of women in the leadership of Adventist churches in China has provided the church an example of what can happen when women are ordained and assume all ministerial prerogatives. The presentation will provide an opportunity for those in attendance to respond to these ideas and suggest additional areas for further research.Download:Allen_paper.pdf___________________

John William Ash III, Chinese Union Mission, Hong KongReflections on David Lin's "Appraisal" DocumentAbstract: When Communism took over China in 1949 and in common with other Christian denominations, a very high percentage of Seventh-day Adventists made shipwreck of their faith. Pr. David Lin, the last executive secretary of the China Division of Seventh-day Adventists was personally devastated by this phenomenon. After some reflection he wrote An Appraisal of Administrative Policy and Practice in S.D.A. Missions The “Appraisal” document had a real influence on a number of young China missionary couples including my wife and myself in 1970. And to this day I still ponder some of the issues he brought up. These "Reflections" attempt to illustrate some of the "influence" of Pr. Lin's "Appraisal" document. Download: Ash_paper.pdf____________________

Michael Campbell, PhD, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, PhilippinesPower, Print, and Martyrdom in the Development of Seventh-day Adventist Missions, 1916-1936Abstract: Missionaries played a pivotal role in the development of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in China. As relative later comers to the Protestant missionary enterprise in China, Adventists quickly made up for lost time after 1901 when J. N. Anderson and a small cohort of missionaries arrived. Adventist missions expanded significantly during the 1920s and 1930s. Clarence C. Crisler (1877-1936) was the most influential figure in the construction and dissemination of Adventism in China during this time period. Crisler served as the personal secretary of Adventist prophetess Ellen G. White, but after her death in 1915 felt “called” to serve in China. During this time he contributed to the organization of the Far Eastern Division, and served in a number of key roles. Perhaps the most influential was his editorship of the main Adventist periodical, Far Eastern Division Outlook (later renamed the China Division Reporter) where he used the medium of print to adapt, disseminate, and homogenize Adventist beliefs. Just as important was the use of print by Crisler to describe Adventist missionary efforts in China to its North American power base. These descriptions by Crisler played a key role in understanding the lived experience of Adventist missionaries and how these early missionaries perceived the people and land of China. His writings therefore became an integral factor for raising additional funds and to inspire other missionaries to follow in his footsteps up until his untimely death from pneumonia while in northwest China—his death secured his status as an Adventist martyr. Crisler thus served as a power broker through the use of print between Adventist adherents and its foreign cultural base.Download: TBA____________________

Christie Chui-Sham Chow., Princeton Theological Seminary, USAJinianzhu daogao (Commemorate the Lord’s Prayer): Indigenizing Seventh-day Adventism in ChinaAbstract: The Chinese Communist discourse often frames Protestantism as a foreign religion and views it as a threat to the nation. Seventh-Day Adventism has no immunity in this regard. As with other Christian traditions, Adventism was compelled to pronounce its indigenity by participating in the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) during the early 1950s and to replace its allegiance to Western denominationalism with absolute loyalty to the socialist order. This paper draws on ethnographic investigation of the Adventist movement in China’s Wenzhou to critique this state-making project. In line with the insights of Andrew Walls and Lamin Sanneh, this paper argues that what makes Adventist faith enroot in China entails not just the active engagement of Chinese Adventists with the ideas and institution of the TSPM but also their agentive efforts to appropriate other Chinese Protestant practices and idioms as means of reviving Adventism. During the mid-1970s, a number of Adventist house church leaders in Wenzhou adopted a unique style of prayer from the Christian Assembly, a homegrown Protestant group founded by Watchman Nee (Ni Tousheng). Through innovative adaptation, these leaders integrated this praying practice, later called Jinianzhu dao gao (Commemorate the Lord’s Prayer), with a distinctive eschatological framework, and transformed the Adventist faith into a truly indigenized religion in China.Download: Chow_abstract.pdf____________________

Christie Chui-Shan Chow, Princeton Theological Seminary, andJoseph Tse-Hei Lee, PhD,Pace University New York, USAThe Seventh-day Adventist Century of China: Prophecy, Publishing, and Print CultureAbstract: This article examines the role of religious publishing and print culture in the Seventh-day Adventist missionary movement in modern China. At the turn of the twentieth century, Adventist missionaries and their Chinese workers decided that the time was right to try to reach everyone in that large country through the medium of print. They founded the Signs of the Times Publishing House, initially based in Henan 河南 province and later relocated to Shanghai 上海, to produce Adventist literature and to propagate the doctrines of Sabbath-keeping, the second coming of Jesus Christ, biblical prophecies, and health reform. Drawing on archival materials and organizational reports, this study demonstrates that the Adventist print media was a large-scale operation as it published and disseminated its prophetic and healthcare literature across the country. The Adventists placed printed religious messages into the hands of a wide range of people and attracted them to Adventist congregations. Using modern printing technologies and nationwide church networks, they succeeded in handing out tens of thousands of Adventist tracts and periodicals in areas not yet visited by any Protestant missionaries. The success of the Adventist print media is significant on at least two levels. First, Protestant missionary enterprises became increasingly diversified in China after the failure of the Boxer Uprising (1900–1901). In a new era of global Christian revival, the Seventh-day Adventists represented a systematic attempt to gain access to the China mission field, and religious print media served as an indispensable vehicle for such evangelistic efforts. Second, the Adventist publishing enterprise produced remarkable institutional networks to circulate its literature, through which many Chinese readers were moved to accept the Adventist prophecy as a reliable description of their current situation. The circulation of Adventist literature reveals a chain of colporteurs-readers who were both broadcasters and recipients of the religious message. After 1949, the Chinese Communists co-opted the Adventist Church into the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement, yet most Adventists resisted this move and organized themselves into a diffuse network of house churches. One important strategy of resistance was to mass-produce Adventist literature through the eras of Mao Zedong 毛澤東 (1893–1976) and Deng Xiaoping 鄧小平 (1904–1997). This literature not only made Seventh-day Adventism accessible to the public by showing them the relationship between Adventist theology and the daily lives of Christians, but also laid the foundation of a religious revival in the Reform period of the late 1970s and 1980s.Download: Chow_Lee_paper.pdf____________________

Ruth Crocombe, University of Queensland, AustraliaForging connections with the Rich and Famous: Adventist institution building in Nationalist ChinaAbstract: Seventh-day Adventists were late entrants to the China mission field, arriving in China in the first decade of the 20th century. Despite this late start however, by the 1920s the Seventh-day Adventist church had established a large network of schools and hospitals across China. In addition to providing educational and medical services free (or at low cost) to the poor, the medical institutions also serviced wealthy fee paying patients. Much of the initial contact between Seventh-day Adventist missionaries and prominent Guomindang officials and other members of the societal elite originated at the Adventist Shanghai Sanitarium and Hospital. However Adventist medical centres in other cities also served this function. As a result Adventist missionaries became acquainted with numerous Guomindang officials and other members of the societal elite..Download: Crocombe_paper.pdf____________________

Yibing Huang, DMin, Shanghai Seventh-day Adventist Church, ChinaShanghai Seventh-Day Adventist Church in China TodayAbstract: This paper describes how the Shanghai Seventh-day Adventist Church recommence church ministry under the unique context of the “Three-Self” Patriotic Movement (TSPM) of Protestantism under the government of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai. The paper begins by reviewing the history of Shanghai Seventh-day Adventist Church prior 1949. It then examines in some details, how the Church has re-organized itself in China today in response to the "neo-religious" framework introduced by the “Three-Self” Patriotic Movement (TSPM).Download: Huang_paper.pdf____________________

Michel Lee, University of Texas at Austin, USABondage and Liberation: American Protestant Missionary Publishing and Narratives on Korea (1884-1923)Abstract: Not Available.Download: Not Available____________________

Chuanshan Liang, MDiv, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, PhilippinesThe Three-Self Controversy in Chinese AdventismAbstract: In China, due to the special political environments, government policy always plays an important role in the church affairs and the church-state relation is highly interwoven through the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), a special politico-religious agency created by the government. The nature of the TSPM is clear for many Christian leaders, but just how to deal with it produces different opinions among denominations and within the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church. It sometimes creates many missiological and ecclesiastical problems like sharp conflicts among church leaders and even schisms in the SDA Church history.This article aims to demonstrate the phenomenon of the Three-Self controversy among the Chinese Adventists through a historical review, to analyze its origin and development under certain historical, cultural and political settings, the different attitudes among the SDA Church leaders and the resulting controversy thereof, and to tell the current crisis and future tendency of the church-state relationship under the Three-Self’s supervision. It is suggested that the SDA Church as a whole should form a unified understanding, not necessarily a policy, to deal with this issue in the middle way, neither violating the state’s law and regulations nor being too dependent on the Three-Self, in order to survive better in case of trouble.Download: Liang_paper.pdf____________________

Bruce W. Lo, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, USA & University of Wollongong, AustraliaDemographic and Organizational Characteristics of Early Adventist Mission in China (1902-1930): A Reflection on its historical context and the relevance to the issues of todayAbstract: Compared to many other protestant groups, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was a relatively late-comer to the China mission field. Yet within a few decades Adventist Mission had become an influential organization in many parts of that nation. Its impact went well beyond its own church membership but was felt by a sizable segment of the Chinese society, both secular and religious, as China emerged from a feudalist society into modern nationhood. This paper traces the humble beginning of the Adventist Mission in China in 1902 to the time it grew into a full Division status as China Division of SDA Church in 1930. The paper begins by examining the internal momentum of the Seventh-day Adventist movement toward foreign mission by introducing the concept of time to Global Mission (TGM) to compare SDA Church with other similar denominations (or movements ) that emerged out of the Great Awakening period of the Euro-American religious history. The entry into the Chinese mission field was obviously a result of this momentum. The paper then proceed to examine the pattern in which the SDA mission in China evolved in the next 30 years. In particular, it analyzes the different demographical and organizational characteristics of the early Adventist mission in China as it interacted with a nation and society in a state of flux. Statistically speaking it is interesting to observe the rate of growth of: the number of SDA missionaries in China, the ratio of male to female missionaries, the number and locations of the mission stations, the funding of new mission initiatives, the appointment of indigenous ministers, and the ratio of expatriate to national workers. Two interesting observations may be made with respect to this period: (a) The Adventist Mission in China gave early attention to ethnic minority Chinese often in remote regions of the country and not just focusing on the Han majority and the population centers. (b) Financial funding for new mission initiatives were provided not only at the General Conference level but often by local conferences / churches in the home field. The paper concludes with an examination on two characteristics of the early China mission that may be relevant to current discussion in the SDA Church today: (a) The number of credential women missionaries in the mission field, and (b) The ratio of national to expatriate employees in the mission workforce.Download: Lo_abstract.pdf____________________

Lawrence Onsager, MA, MS, Andrews University, USA

On Fire for China: Erik Pilquist, Pioneer Adventist Missionary to ChinaAbstract: Erik Pilquist and his wife, Ida Gran are shadowy figures in the early history of the first efforts to establish an Adventist presence in China. This paper is a preliminary study of the impact that they had on the initial training of the first group of Adventist inland China missionaries and their methods for bringing the Gospel to the non-Christian Chinese. Erik, raised in Sweden as a member of the state-run Lutheran Church, was successively a Baptist, a Seventh-day Adventist, a member of the Free Church of Sweden in the US, a missionary under the auspices of the China Inland Mission and the British and Foreign Bible Society, once again a Seventh-day Adventist, and finally, an independent Sabbatarian. After converting his wife and rejoining the Adventist Church, Erik and Ida passed on the missiological principles they had learned as members of the China Inland Mission and their subsequent experiences with the British and Foreign Bible Society. While further research is necessary to evaluate the full impact this had on the effectiveness of the Adventist pioneer missionaries, I believe that Erik and Ida had a significant impact on the opening of the Adventist work in China by urging J. N. Anderson to go to China as the first Seventh-day Adventist missionary and on the career of Harry Miller, the China doctor. Requesting a medical missionary and a printing press to further his work, Erik encouraged Harry Miller to come to China to serve as a doctor and start the Adventist printing work. While the full story remains to be told, this paper provides the foundation for understanding the work and the legacy of the Pilquists.Download: Onsager_paper.pdf____________________

Jim Park, PhD, Adventist International Institute of Advanced StudiesA Brief Overview of Three Approaches to Bring the Gospel to ChinaAbstract: In the past the gospel has been understood, taught and preached through “Western” eyes in order to reach the people of China. This has traditionally resulted in either syncretism or a lack of assimilation of the person or the idea. Another more recent approach has been to find evidences of God in the rituals and writings of ancient China and thus ground the origin of many aspects of God’s revelation in China itself. Although some of the arguments to link the ancient writings and practices seem stretched, the approach has been fruitful in developing faith. The third approach seeks to affirm that the Bible itself is grounded in the culture of the East and can be best understood and appreciate by Eastern peoples like the Chinese. A fuller understanding of the cultural issues surrounding the stories could not only increase their understanding and assimilation into the Chinese context but also give the gospel the best opportunity to work reformation within the family, the church and society..Download: TBA____________________

Warren Shipton, PhD, Asia Pacific International University, ThailandChina: Connected to the Highway of SalvationAbstract: God has not left people groups without witness to his presence and salvation. Knowledge of his ways can be traced in Chinese society to antiquity through analysis of ideographs, ceremonies, symbols, and stories contained in folk mythologies. The activities of sages operating around the time of Daniel the prophet and after contain information indicative of knowledge about the Divine. The ethical principles advocated by Confucius have a close resemblance to those outlined in the Old Testament as affirmed and expanded on by the teachings of Christ. There also are the intriguing prophecies of Mencius, which seem to point to a coming Deliverer. Indeed, his birth-star is noted in Chinese astronomical records. The activities of the Jews and the Church of the East, the latter whose witness essentially finished at the end of the fourteenth century, are but vaguely evident today in China. People with some Christian beliefs were found in the mountainous regions bordering China or elsewhere in Myanmar by 19th century missionaries. These and others who lived along protected sections of the ancient trade routes have provided a rich harvest of followers in more modern times. They with others could be regarded as members of the wilderness church. The echoes of Judeo-Christian thought contained in folk mythologies and dominant non-Christian religions present themselves as springboards to encourage devotees to experience eternal truths and acknowledge the creator God.Download: Shipton_paper.pdf____________________

May Tuan Tucker, PhD, Adventism in China, USASherman Albertus and Mary Nagel: Early Adventist pioneers to Hakka region of Southern ChinaAbstract: Sherman A. Nagel, born on June 9th, 1887 in Forman, Sargent County, North Dakota, USA, became a Seventh-Day Adventist missionary in China. He, and wife Mary, joined 17 other missionaries set sail to China in October of 1909. Sherman dedicated 14 years serving in Wai Chow, Hakka, a southern region about 150 miles from Guangzhou. He and Mary learned the Hakka dialect and powerfully proclaimed God's word to a war-torn country by warlords, poverty, and civil unrest. The Nagels remained faithful to God and to the Chinese people during the tumultuous warlord years (1920s). By December of 1920 Sherman and Mary Nagel had established 15 Adventist congregations in Wai Chow with 10 full-time Bible teachers. The lives of Sherman and Mary Nagel became a lasting and endearing legacy for not only the many Chinese Hakka converts and their descendants but also set an example for his children, son Sherman and daughter Florence. Florence returned to China to serve virtually her entire life there, while son Sherman Jr. spent years serving in Africa. This paper attempts to provide a more complete and accurate account of the Nagels' contributions to Adventist mission than are currently available.Download: Tuan_Tucker_paper.pdf____________________

Lianmin Zhang, MMin & Yibing Huang, DMin, Shanghai Seventh-day Adventist Church, ChinaHistory of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and Its Impact on Christian OrganizationsAbstract: In order to carry out effective church ministry in Shanghai, one must comprehend the context of Shanghai; its natural and social environment; its personality and lifestyle, family life, local religions, language, customs, culture. Especially it is important to understand the“Three-Self”Patriotic Movement (TSPM) in Shanghai and how it operates in the rest of China. Although many people are not aware of this uniquely Chinese Christian organization, a clear understanding of its governance and its relations to church organization is crucial for effective church ministry. The aim of this paper is to provide an outline of the history of TSPM and how it has affected and continues to affect religious organizations in China, in particular the Seventh-day Adventist Church..Download: Zhang_Huang_paper.pdf____________________